Nothing But Words

Kai on his way to 1st grade, with his randoseru (Japanese backpack) Kai on his way to 1st grade, with his randoseru (Japanese backpack)09-Apr-2007 08:05Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.01666666 sec,

A notice we received when Kai started 1st grade, for a seminar to make parents comfortable with their kids walking to school without them A notice we received when Kai started 1st grade, for a seminar to make parents comfortable with their kids walking to school without them

While we were living in Tokyo I wrote a number of posts about all the fun Kai was having in the Japanese public school kindergarten. I never had a chance to write about the time he spent in 1st grade. Kids in Japan go to school year-round, and their school year starts in April, with only a 2 week break after finishing the previous grade.

The week before Kai started 1st grade, we got a notice in the mail from the school, inviting us to attend a seminar for parents on their children’s safety while going back and forth from home to school (a scan of the notice is above). This was the exact opposite of what such a seminar would cover in the US: they tell the parents that while it was fine for you to walk your children to school in kindergarten, you have to let them walk to school on their own in 1st grade. They patiently explain that your kids are growing up, and its time to let them start feeling independent (Tokyo is densely populated and every neighborhood has its own elementary school, so no one rides a bus). They emphasize that the streets are very safe and you will only embarrass your child if you’re seen taking him or her to school. For the walk home in the afternoon, the kids are organized into groups of about a dozen each, based on which kids live near each other, and they walk each other home. Kai’s school was only two blocks away from our apartment, so we got through it without too much anxiety .

Walking home with their classmates is a part of Japanese kids’ socialization. The schools begin emphasizing the importance of social groups as soon as they leave kindergarten. At Kai’s kindergarten graduation, the local district superintendent gave a speech explaining to them it was time to start relying more on their friends and less on their parents.

After having a great time in kindergarten, Kai was very excited to start 1st grade. The first task for us was investing (and I do mean investing) in his randoseru:

A randoseru is a firm-sided backpack made of stitched firm leather… The randoseru is the most universal and recognizable feature of the Japanese school uniform and is considered symbolic of the virtues necessary to obtain a good education—unity, discipline, hard work and dedication. Traditionally, the randoseru is red in colour for girls, black for boys… Traditionally given to a child upon beginning their first year at school, the randoseru’s materials and workmanship are designed to allow the backpack to endure the child’s entire elementary education (six years)… The randoseru’s durability and significance is reflected in its cost: a new randoseru made of genuine leather can carry a pricetag of over 30,000 yen, almost 300 US dollars…

The incoming 2nd grade class performing at the ceremony marking the start of the school year

The incoming 2nd grade class performing at the ceremony marking the start of the school year06-Apr-2007 14:08

The ceremony marking the start of the school year was fun. The video clip on the right is the incoming 2nd grade class playing their pianicas. I was impressed at how well they played – they’re only 7 years old. Kai still has his pianica, and he and Eidan occasionally fool around with it.

Unfortunately, Kai’s excitement turned to misery after just a few days in 1st grade. American elementary schools gradually increase the academic rigor from grade to grade. In Japan, everything is fun and games through kindergarten, and then they bring the hammer down in 1st grade. While kindergarten was mainly focused on fun arts and crafts, in 1st grade Kai was stuck behind a desk all day, listening to a teacher talk in a language he didn’t understand. It was an especially tough transition for him because, while he had two friends in kindergarten who spoke English, no one in his 1st grade class knew any English. The school was supposed to assign him a Japanese tutor, but for some reason they had trouble finding someone. The one bright spot for him was English class, which had an American teacher he liked, and it was the one place he felt like he knew what was going on.

His misery in 1st grade was one of the reasons I came back to the US with the boys about a month earlier than planned (the other reason was that Maria was going to be traveling a lot for her work). That meant Kai was able to re-join his old kindergarten class here for the last few weeks of the American school year. So he’s the proud owner of two kindergarten diplomas from two different countries.

A short video about Kai’s school – Takanawa Yochien

A short video about Kai’s school – Takanawa Yochien05-Aug-2007 03:51

I’ve uploaded a minute and a half clip from a show that was on our local cable channel in Tokyo about Kai’s school – click the image to play it. Kai makes a brief appearance towards the end of the clip. It’s in Japanese of course, but even if you can’t follow along, you can still get a good sense from the visuals of what the school is like. Sitting next to Kai in the video is his friend Hiroki. Hiroki lived with his parents in Albany, New York for a while, and he went to school there, so his English is quite good. Kai had another friend at the school named Kaito, who also speaks English. Both of them helped Kai out a lot, since he spoke very little Japanese.

In the video, the woman greeting the kids as they arrive is the principal. That wasn’t staged for the video – she’s out there every morning, rain or shine, to hold the gate open and say good morning to everyone as they come in. While the other teachers spoke at least a little English, she didn’t speak any, so my (attempts at) conversations with her were always the most challenging for me.

It was a really great school for Kai, and I’ve written many times before about how much he enjoyed it. The teachers and his classmates were very supportive and understanding, given that he didn’t speak any Japanese at first. But he did learn quickly. One thing that was fun for me was watching him with the kids in the playground after school, and hearing him try to transpose English words into Japanese. There’s actually quite a bit of English that’s been borrowed in Japanese. Once Kai figured out how to transform English words into their “correct” Japanese pronunciation (e.g. “hot dog” becomes “hotto doghu”, apple juice becomes “apploo juicoo”), and once he mastered a few key Japanese phrases, it was amazing how much he could communicate. One of his first Japanese words was “dameh!” which means “stop it!” – a vital playground survival phrase.

The show about the school was on the Minato City channel, as part of a regular series on the local schools. Each year they make their way through all the local kindergartens and elementary schools. It struck me as a really nice way for residents to get a broader sense of their community, and see how their neighborhood school compares to others in the area.

Kai waiting for the group photo to be taken at his kindergarten graduation22-Mar-2007 11:25Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 4, 10.8125mm, 0.01666666 sec,

All the kids, parents, and teachers. Kai’s in the middle of the front row, and Maria, Eidan, and I are in the back, on the right.22-Mar-2007 11:25Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.01666666 sec,

From an American’s perspective, Kai’s graduation from kindergarten was fairly typical… for a high school senior. From beginning to end the whole thing took about three hours. There were songs, slideshows, speeches, the ceremony itself, and multiple rounds of various group photos.

Kai gets his kindergarten diploma22-Mar-2007 10:16

The kids take turns saying what their favorite activity was. Kai’s on the far right, and he memorized what to say in Japanese (in English it means “I enjoyed making swords for playing")22-Mar-2007 10:48

Maria with Naname, the sister of Kai’s classmate Kaito22-Mar-2007 11:21Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.01666666 sec,

Eidan, Maria, and I waiting for the group photo to be taken22-Mar-2007 11:25Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 4, 10.8125mm, 0.01666666 sec,

Most of the dads took at least part of the day off work to be there, and many local dignitaries were also in attendance. Several of the moms were there in formal kimonos, which is a big deal, as getting them put on just right, plus the requisite hair and make up work, is something of an undertaking. Many of the moms were also crying as the kids got their diplomas. I had to restrain myself from blurting out “it’s just kindergarten!” Actually, many of these kids are only children, and – generally speaking – the Japanese seem take the milestones of childhood development more seriously than Americans. So, with those things in mind, their feelings are understandable. I genuinely felt for one of the moms as she burst into tears when her son got his diploma: he’s both mentally and physically handicapped, and this graduation was probably one of the last experiences he’ll have where he can participate just like all the other kids his age (I imagine in first grade or soon thereafter he’ll be moved into a special program).

The first video on the left is Kai getting his diploma. The second one is a portion of one of the songs the kids sang. They paused at various points during the song so the kids could shout out what their favorite activity was during the school year. Kai’s line is at the end of the clip. He memorized what to say in Japanese “Ken wo tsukutte asobu no tanoshikatta desu.” That roughly translates to “I enjoyed making swords for playing.” There’s actually a lot going in the grammar of that sentence, some of which is beyond my experience (like the katta suffix on the adjective tanoshii (enjoyable), which I just looked up – it makes it the past tense). For now it’s just something he memorized, but now that he’s starting first grade and getting some Japanese lessons, I imagine his Japanese will be better than mine by the end of June, when we head back to the US.

Kai had a great time in kindergarten. He made friends with the two other boys in the class who speak English. Even though Kai won’t be in the same school as them for 1st grade, he’ll still see them for playdates (the girl in the picture with Maria is Naname, the younger sister of Kai’s classmate and friend Kaito – their dad is American). I’m sure Kai will make new friends in first grade as well.

Kai spends a lot of time in his Japanese kindergarten making things from recycling materials

Kai spends a lot of time in his Japanese kindergarten making things from recycling materials01-Feb-2007 04:47Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.06666667 sec,

On Thursdays when I pick up Kai from school, we always have to walk home instead of taking the bus. This is because we’re too loaded down with his bags of trash for me to carry them and manage Eidan and his stroller all at the same time on the bus.

Perhaps “trash” is too strong a word.

On a regular basis, the parents are expected to bring in all their paper recyclables to the school, as well as plastic bottle caps, cups, etc. Every day the teachers let the kids have at it – along with some tape, glue, and ribbons – to create whatever they want. Kai has made jet packs, guitars, cash registers, rockets, and myriad other items – too many for me to remember. Then every Thursday, they bring all their creations home.

As we take the 30 minute walk home, Kai gives me a very animated presentation on each of his creations. When we get home, we throw out everything from the prior week to make room for the new stuff, because 1. his creations aren’t built to last, so most of them are destroyed after a week, and 2. in our tiny apartment, we don’t have any space for accumulating Kai’s trash creations.

Kindergarten is over now, and Kai clearly misses working on these projects. We’ve been finding him furtively digging through our meager cans of recycling, and voicing frustration at not having nearly enough material to work with for whatever fantastic creation he has in mind.

A portable “smoke room” for a fire drill at Kai’s kindergarten A portable “smoke room” for a fire drill at Kai’s kindergarten21-Jan-2007 23:07Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.0025 sec,

Kai with his fire hat Kai with his fire hat21-Jan-2007 23:09Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.00625 sec,

The kids go into the smoke room The kids go into the smoke room21-Jan-2007 23:17Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 4, 10.8125mm, 0.008 sec,

Kai starts 1st grade next week, and I have a backlog of posts to write about his time in kindergarten. So brace yourself for my next few posts: they’re all about going to kindergarten in Tokyo.

Back in January, I attended one of many events at Kai’s school where a parent was expected to be there. This one was a fire drill. It’s not like the US where they just ring the fire alarm and then tell the kids to file out in an orderly fashion. I remember those fire drills from childhood, where they would also tell us about “stop, drop, and roll” and things like that. But now that I’ve experienced a Japanese fire drill, I have to say my childhood training probably wouldn’t have helped much if I were ever really in a building that was on fire. Just being told what to do when you’re in a burning building doesn’t really prepare you for the disorientation of actually being engulfed in dense smoke.

For fire drills in Tokyo, the local fire department brings a portable canvass “smoke room” to the school, as you can see in the pictures. Also, the school has fire proof hats for the kids that make them look like extras from a Dr. Who episode (but starting in 1st grade they’re expected to buy and bring their own hats). The smoke room isn’t that big, and all the kids had to do was go in one side and come out the other. No big deal, right? Well, after the kids were done, the parents were invited to try it as well. I put a hand towel over my mouth as I was instructed, and as soon as I stepped in I was completely blinded by the smoke. I figured all I had to do was walk straight, so I took a few steps, and a few more, and then a few more… and then I started to worry, as I thought I should have reached the exit by then… Maybe I didn’t quite go straight… maybe I’m actually headed to the corner, and I’ve missed the exit. So I started waving an arm in front of me as I took a few more steps so I could feel for the exit, and to my relief I found the exit flap and headed out.

So, a lesson learned: those action movies we’ve all seen with folks running around in burning buildings – it isn’t like that at all. You actually can’t see even two feet in front of you.

Video – The class sings a Japanese Happy Birthday song to the March birthday kids (with a little English thrown in – you’ll hear “happy” in there (Happy Tanjoobi)

Video – The class sings a Japanese Happy Birthday song to the March birthday kids (with a little English thrown in – you’ll hear “happy” in there (Happy Tanjoobi)03-Mar-2007 06:08

Click the picture for a very cute video of Kai’s classmates singing a Japanese Happy Birthday song. One of the cool things about Japanese is that it has onomatopoeic words for feelings, not just sounds (like “bang!” in English). The kids sing “uki uki” which is for feeling excited.

The dolls Kai made at school for Hina-matsuri (Girl’s Day and Doll Festival). The dolls represent attendants in the Emperor’s Court from the Heian Period. The dolls Kai made at school for Hina-matsuri (Girl’s Day and Doll Festival). The dolls represent attendants in the Emperor’s Court from the Heian Period.03-Mar-2007 07:14Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.125 sec,

The birthday party at Kai’s school for all the kids with March Birthdays (Kai is on the far right). The musical notes behind them read O-tanjoobi Omedetoo (Happy Birthday, with an honorific “O”) The birthday party at Kai’s school for all the kids with March Birthdays (Kai is on the far right). The musical notes behind them read O-tanjoobi Omedetoo (Happy Birthday, with an honorific “O”)01-Mar-2007 19:50Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 3.5, 7.96875mm, 0.01666666 sec,

That’s me presenting Kai’s dinosaur to the class. I had to explain why it was special to Kai, in Japanese (which is why I’m reading it!). That’s me presenting Kai’s dinosaur to the class. I had to explain why it was special to Kai, in Japanese (which is why I’m reading it!).01-Mar-2007 19:55Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.01666666 sec,

Kai’s birthday is in March, and yesterday at his school they had a party for all the kids in the class with March birthdays, and to celebrate Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day, aka Doll Festival). As you can see in the pictures, the birthday kids had to stand on stage. It started with one of the teachers pretending to hold a microphone and asking each of them about their favorite food. Kai’s teacher prepped him beforehand, and he knows the Japanese word for rice – gohan – so he answered with that.

Then they each had one of their parents join them on stage, to present the child’s “treasure.” Kai had me bring a toy dinosaur (it was sent to him in Japan by my father and step-mother, and Kai and I painted it together). The night before Maria helped me write up what I would say in Japanese, as it was too complicated for me to get through it without notes. I think everyone understood me, as I definitely got a reaction out of the kids with “issho ni kazarimashita” (we decorated together – for the folks in my Japanese class, I’ve put my entire, 30 second presentation below – I wimped out and wrote it in Romaji).

After that the kids sang a very cute Japanese happy birthday song, then they did a big circle dance, and we finished up with sakura mochi, a traditioinal Girl’s Day snack.

My Presentation of Kai’s Dinosaur:

Kono kyooryuu wa Kai ni daiji na mono desu.
This dinosaur is Kai’s treasure.

Daiji to wa naze wa mitsu no riyuu ga arimasu.
There are three important reasons why.

Hitotsu: Kai wa kyooryuu suki na no desu
First: Kai likes dinosaurs (dinosaurs are Kai’s favorite)
[I don't fully understand the role of "no" here, even after Maria explained it to me...]

Futatsu: kono kyooryuu wa papa to issho ni kazarimashita
Second: he decorated this dinosaur together with his father

Mitsu: kyooryuu moderu wa America kara ojii-chan to obaa-san ga okutta mono desu
Third: the dinosaur model was sent from America by his grandfather and grandmother
[okutta is an adjective form of the verb okuru (to send) - it's outside my experience but a good explanation is here, under the "hard to understand" heading ]

Ijo desu!
That’s it!

Mike with the Takanawa kindergarten moms. The other guy in the picture doesn’t count – he was the sound engineer.

Mike with the Takanawa kindergarten moms. The other guy in the picture doesn’t count – he was the sound engineer.22-Jan-2007 01:00Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.01666666 sec,

I like to think I’m an easy going guy, and that I like to have new experiences, and that I try to be helpful when I can.

But there are some things I just can’t do.

At Kai’s school, I’m an “isle of man” in a sea of moms. Bringing the kids to school and picking them up is the exclusive realm of moms in Takanawa (we actually live in Kounan, which is the neighboring ward, but the Kounan school was full by the time we arrived, so Kai is at the Takanawa school). The moms are also very involved with school activities. There are at least a few activities at the school each month. Last month the kids recorded a song for the school (see the video below), and so did the moms. Despite my limited Japanese, and my being male and gaijin (foreigner), they have been very nice to me and they do their best to make sure I don’t miss out on/escape from any of the activities. For the recording of their song, they wanted me to sing too. I thought I’d give it a try, and while I can read Hiragana, I couldn’t make out the lyrics on the n-th generation photocopy they gave me. So I didn’t participate in that recording.

But last week they were at it again. This time they were practicing a song they wrote for a party next month, thanking the teacher for her work over the past year (the school year ends in March here). And they weren’t going to let me out of it this time. One of them took the time to transcribe the song in Romaji, so I could easily read the lyrics. I’m not much of a singer, but it was a simple tune, so I was doing alright for the first couple of run-throughs. But then they decided to throw in some dance moves, such as some Rockette-style leg kicks. My Japanese is very limited, but fortunately I knew “dekimasen, dekimasen!” (I can’t, I can’t). They were willing to let me off the hook. I didn’t fully understand the conversation that followed, but I think I ended up agreeing to wear a yellow wig and throw confetti instead.

It reminds me of when I was little and my older sisters would try to see what kinds of crazy things they could make me do before I would snap.

I may or may not post photos from the party next month

Kai and his Takanawa kindergarten classmates singing the school song. Kai and his Takanawa kindergarten classmates singing the school song.22-Jan-2007 00:34Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.01666666 sec,

Video – Kai and his Takanawa kindergarten classmates singing the school song. Video – Kai and his Takanawa kindergarten classmates singing the school song.22-Jan-2007 00:34

Kai in his school uniform, ready for his first day of school at Takanawa Yochien

Kai in his school uniform, ready for his first day of school at Takanawa Yochien10-Jan-2007 00:35Canon Canon PowerShot S230, 2.8, 5.40625mm, 0.125 sec,

Kai started school on Tuesday. This was the day we’ve been worried about for months, as we had no idea how he’d react to such a different environment, where he didn’t even speak the language.

The night before he was bouncing off the walls with excitement. It turns out he loved his first day, and he’s loved every day since. He says he doesn’t mind that he can’t understand what the teacher says most of the time. Between miming and the little bit of English the teacher speaks, they seem to work things out. Also, there’s another American boy in the class, who started in December, so Kai has someone he can speak English with.

While Japanese schools in general are more rigorous than US schools, this isn’t the case with kindergarten. It’s mostly arts & crafts and playtime, and not much reading or math. Kai seems quite happy to not have to work as hard as he did at his school at home.

In one respect, however, the school is more rigorous, but it’s a burden that primarily falls on the parents. We were given a 16 page manual before Kai started, outlining a multitude of rules and expectations. From an American perspective, it’s the kind of thing you’d expect from a 19th century boarding school, not a current day public school. For example, for lunch he’s expected to bring a napkin of a very specific size with a ring in the corner, a cup of a particular shape and color, another sippy cup containing water but no straw of any kind, and so on. The only thing we’re not going along with is the expectation that he wear little gray shorts in the dead of winter. The teacher says it’ll toughen him up. Maria says it’s “a throwback to the old British tradition (i.e., making kids miserable).”

Kai is already holding Maria to the Japanese “supermom” standard – read this hilarious article to see what I’m talking about. After seeing how expertly prepared the other kids’ bento lunches were, Kai inspected Maria’s work the next morning, to see if it compared favorably. Fortunately, Maria passed

Kai’s teacher is going to make a “home visit” to visit our apartment next week, which is something the teacher does with all the parents. Privacy expectations are also something that’s quite different in Japan.

Unfortunately, our neighborhood kindergarten was full, so he’s attending a school that’s about a 30 minute walk away, or about 20 minutes on buses (two different buses are involved, with a bit of a walk between them). So far the weather’s been good – I don’t look forward to that journey with Kai and Eidan on a day when it’s cold and rainy.

Kai is registered already for 1st grade, which starts in April, and fortunately that school is across the street from us (the Japanese go to school year-round, and the school year starts in April).